Voters in Benton and Washington counties each have a choice to make in the March 1 election, but it's a little different than any of the other races on the ballot.
While most races are Republican or Democratic primaries to determine nominees for November's general election, when it comes to judicial races, the March 1 election is the final decision for who will take office in January.
On the ballot in both counties is one contested district court judgeship. These are the judges who hear the lowest level of offenses. They previously were called municipal judges, but reforms in recent years have made many of them -- including these two -- into full-time, state-level judgeships paying $140,000. Formerly elected in smaller municipal districts, they are now elected by all residents within their respective counties.
They hear small claims cases and adjudicate traffic citations and other misdemeanors. They also hear cases about state law and local ordinance violations. They can also hear preliminary felony cases and civil cases involving contracts, damage to personal property and recovery of personal property in matters less than $25,000
While matters in these courts don't always make big news, they are important courts in every community they serve. If a resident is going to have some sort of court-related involvement, the highest likelihood is it will happen in district court.
Below are our recommendations in two district court races:
Benton County
District 1, Division 1
Rogers staff attorney Chris Griffin, 42, is challenging incumbent District Judge Paul Bridges. Bridges, 62, has been the judge since 2013.
After visiting with both men, we recommend Griffin, largely on his promises of making schedule and management changes necessary to ensure residents' experience with the District Court can be as customer friendly as possible. Most folks who are in District Court are not hardened criminals. Some of them may have never had a run-in with the law at all. This district court will benefit from an improved customer service approach that nonetheless also applies fair adjudication of cases.
We're also drawn to Griffin's pledge to restore night court, a feature that might not be popular with some court staffers but nonetheless will provide an improved level of access to the court for some who would be better served by not having to take time away from work or school during the day.
Griffin also pledges close attention to ways technology can be used within the court's jurisdiction to reduce the costs to the justice system.
Both men are respected attorneys. While either will do an acceptable job, we give the edge to Griffin.
Washington County
District 2, Division 2
Graham Nations, 44, has served as the Prairie Grove district judge since 2005, but with the changes to the district courts system, the local post he's been in for more than a decade will be filled by all county voters this year. He faces challenger Casey Copeland, 39, a former member of the Washington County Quorum Court who is now an attorney representing children in dependency-neglect cases in Sebastian County.
Simply put, we can see no reason Washington County voters would want to oust Nations. As he put it, the people of Washington County have already made a significant investment in his experience as a judge. Copeland hasn't presented any compelling reason Nations shouldn't be allowed to continue his service in a full-time capacity.
Nations has 19 years experience as an attorney, five of them involved as a prosecutor. His experience and demeanor seem a good fit for the administration of justice in this full-time position.
Commentary on 02/15/2016